Ecosystems: The

Rainforest

By: Melody Laky

What is an Ecosystem?

A unique environment where every living thing is interdependent, and one of the most complex and most interesting ecosystems in the world

can be found in the rainforest

The Amazon RainforestThe Amazon Rainforest is a vast region that spans across eight

rapidly developing countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador,

Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, an

overseas territory of France.

What is in the Amazon Rainforest?

•One in ten known species on Earth

•1.4 billion acres of dense forests, half of the planet's remaining tropical forests

•4,100 miles of winding rivers

•2.6 million square miles in the Amazon basin, about 40 percent of South America

Plant Life

Rainforests like those in South America

support more than 8,000 kinds of plants

within their dense vegetation. If you hiked

through the jungle, you might see orchids, a

strangler fig tree or even a mangrove tree.

You could feed yourself on bananas or

coconuts, if you were good at shimmying up

a 20-foot tree trunk.

BambooThe vegetation in rainforests grows in layers. Some of the layers get

sunlight, but the bottom layers get little or no sunlight. This

particular bamboo can grow anywhere between 40 feet and 80 feet

in height. It is approximately 3 inches in diameter at maturity.

Amazon Water LilyThe Amazon water lily is an aquatic plant that grows in the

lakes and rivers of South American rainforests. Its huge

leaves can be up to 3 meters (9.8 ft.) in diameter. There are

rows of sharp spines on the undersides of the leaves.

These deter rainforest animals such as manatees from

eating them.

EpiphytesEpiphytes are plants that live on other plants. They don’t have roots in the ground, and have evolved various strategies for obtaining water and nutrients. Many different epiphyte species, that together weigh several tons, can be found growing on a single tree. Epiphytes even grow on

other epiphytes!

Many of the plants in this tropical rainforest plants list are epiphytes.

Bougainvilleas

A colorful entry to the tropical rainforest

plants list, Bougainvilleas are native to

South America. They are grown as

ornamental plants in other areas.

Bougainvilleas are well-known for their

beautiful flower-like leaves, which grow

around the actual flower. These thorny

plants grow as vines and shrubs.

Animal Life

More than half of the animals in the world

make their homes in the lush environment

of the rainforest. Sloths thrive in the South

America rainforests, where more than 2,000

kinds of butterflies flutter through the trees.

JaguarsJaguars are strong swimmers and climbers and require large areas of

tropical rain forest and stretches of riverbank to survive. Hunting

and habitat loss due to deforestation continue to threaten the

survival of these marvelous cats.

Macaw

The Amazonian rain forest is a bird lover's paradise, home to over a thousand different species, including the blue-and-

yellow macaw. Macaws are highly intelligent, mate for life and can live up

to 60 years. The vibrant color and pattern of their feathers make them a popular species in the illegal pet trade,

which has devastated populations of wild exotic birds.

Poison Dart Frog

Many other frog species camouflage themselves in the wild,

but the poison dart frog uses its brightly colored skin to warn

predators that it is unfit to eat. The frog's skin secretes a

dangerous poison that can paralyze and even kill predators.

There are more than 100 species of poison dart frogs,

including those that live in the Amazon.

Amazon River Dolphin

The Amazon river dolphin, also known as the pink river

dolphin or boto, lives only in freshwater. It is found

throughout much of the Amazon and Orinoco river

basins in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana,

Peru, and Venezuela. It is a relatively abundant freshwater

cetacean with an estimated population in the tens of

thousands.

Black Spider Monkey

The black spider monkey—also known as the Guiana or red-faced

spider monkey—is found in eastern South America in areas north

of the Amazon River. They are one of seven species of spider

monkeys found in Latin America and one of the largest primate

species in South America.

Sloths

Sloths—the sluggish tree-dwellers of Central and South America—spend their lives in the tropical rain forests. They move through the canopy at a rate of

about 40 yards per day, munching on leaves, twigs and buds. Sloths have an exceptionally low metabolic rate

and spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping. And surprisingly enough, the long-armed animals are

excellent swimmers. They occasionally drop from their treetop perches into water for a paddle.

Geographical Area of Rainforests

Although rainforests cover less than 10 percent of the earth, they can be found on five continents, from the islands of Java and Borneo to the billion-acre Amazon. In fact, the

rainforest in the Amazon river basin spans sections of five countries, and it would comprise the ninth largest country in the world if it became its own country. The Amazon rainforest alone houses 20 percent of the plants and birds in the world. Nicknamed the "Lungs of the

World," this forest provides more than 20 percent of the oxygen we need to live.

Concerns for the Rainforest

Many scientists are concerned about the disappearing rainforests in areas like the Amazon. According to the California Institute of Technology, a football-sized area of rainforest is being destroyed with each passing second. Even with a bamboo plant's daily astronomical growth of

up to nine inches, the forests can't keep up with the 2,000 trees cut down every day. Destruction of this magnitude impacts the animal life as well as the rare plant species. Humans

may eventually feel the impact as well since 25 percent of the ingredients in our medicines come from rainforest plants.

References

• http://oureverydaylife.com/rainforest-ecosystems-kids-14303.html

• http://www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon

• http://www.activewild.com/tropical-rainforest-plants-list/